Chris Schulz Published

FSU Receives Federal Funds For Aviation Program

A military aircraft carrying Mandela's body departs from Waterkloof military airbase for the Eastern Cape on Saturday in Pretoria, South Africa. The plane is silhouetted against the bright sun in a blue sky with some white clouds.
Fairmont State University will receive federal funds for its aviation program.
Listen

The Aviation Center for Excellence at Fairmont State University will receive $270,000 from the Department of Education to purchase equipment.

The funds were acquired via a Congressionally Directed Spending request by Senator Joe Manchin through the Fiscal Year 2023 funding bill.

Fairmont State offers a variety of aviation related bachelor’s degrees and is West Virginia’s only Part 141 FAA certified school offering programs in Aviation Administration & Professional Flight.

In recent years schools around the state, including Marshall and Shepherd Universities, have created more aviation programs in response to a workforce shortage in the aviation industry.

In 2020, 3,600 West Virginians were employed in the aviation industry with an average salary of $78,000.